This shows forcibly what great results a slight force, continued for a long time, will produce.
September 15.
Whilst standing on the deck of the Beagle this evening we remarked large luminous spots in the water.

They appeared to be about 12 inches in circumference, were very numerous, and perfectly stationary.

The light they emitted was phosphorescent, but far brighter than I had ever before witnessed; it was so vivid as to be distinctly visible for nearly a quarter of a mile.
September 16.
We saw this morning an immense number of fin-backed whales, some of which were quite close to the vessel.

In the course of half an hour I counted thirty of them.

Could they have been feeding on the phosphorescent animals we saw last night?
We are today about 600 miles from the Cape, and there is a strange discordance amongst the elements.